Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini-Court Reporter
TWO more suspects have been arrested in the Ruwa unlawful entry case where US$176 000 was stolen.
In early June, H-Metro reported that Harare businessman Joseph Maruta collected US$181 000 from a farm in Kwekwe as payment for supplying seed potato.
After returning home to Kambuzuma, he took his pistol and two magazines of 15 rounds each and headed to his girlfriend Leoba Hunda’s house in Springvale, Ruwa.
Prosecutors alleged that on June 7, Remember Gladmore Fadzauone and Tawanda Jabulani Makumana, who were with their accomplice Blessing Kennes, who is already in custody, teamed up and connived to steal from Mr Maruta.
They allegedly proceeded to Ms Hunda’s residence where they broke into Mr Maruta’s Toyota GD6 by smashing the rear windscreen of the car before they gained entry into the house.
They stole cash amounting to US$176 050, which was in a plastic bag, US$6 000 which was in Mr Maruta’s jacket, a Samsung S23 Ultra and a Derya pistol with serial numbers TG970-24L78774 with two fully charged magazines before disappearing from the scene.
Mr Maruta woke up at around 5am and discovered that all his belongings had been stolen before he made a report at ZRP Ruwa.
On September 13, detectives from CID Homicide Harare received information to the effect that Fadzauone was involved in the robbery and was hiding in Beitbridge.
The detectives went to Beitbridge where they managed to arrest him at 2413 Shule Shule, Dulibadzimu, Beitbridge.
Upon arrest, he was interviewed and led police to the recovery of US$5 300 in a small cross bag in his room.
He revealed that he bought four vehicles; a Nissan Caravan NV350, Toyota Hiace, Toyota Ipsum and a Honda Fit.
He further told detectives that he bought stand 2187 Crowhill in Borrowdale, Harare and built a three-roomed cottage which he secured with a precast wall.
He installed a solar system and drilled a borehole at the property.
He also told police that he built a four-roomed house at his rural home, Mundirwa Village in Rusape.
He confessed that he used some of the stolen cash in Mozambique while he was on the run and he also bought two welding machines and a generator.
Fadzauone implicated Makumana, who he had given US$7 000 as a token of appreciation after he helped him skip the border to Mozambique.
Makumana told police that he used the money to buy a Mini Cooper valued at US$1 300.
He said he bought a stand valued at US$1 200 in Juru, Murehwa, and used the remaining cash to buy some food and clothes for his family.
